What seemed a certainty days ago — that the New York Knicks would match any offer sheet for restricted free-agent guard Jeremy Lin from the Houston Rockets — became quite unclear Saturday night, after the Knicks agreed to terms with free-agent guard Raymond Felton in a sign-and-trade deal with Portland. The Knicks also received forward/center Kurt Thomas from the Blazers for a second tour of duty in New York. In exchange, the Knicks sent forward Jared Jeffries and center Dan Gadzuric to Portland.

Felton reportedly signed a three-year, $10 million contract with New York, a hefty deal for someone that wasn’t going to play very much as a third point guard. The Knicks already signed Jason Kidd to a three-year, $9.5 million deal earlier this month, and also have Argentinian guard Pablo Prigioni under contract.

Bringing back Lin, the undrafted guard out of Harvard who electrified crowds in New York in a three-week stretch in early February that was quickly dubbed “Linsanity,” seemed a formality. But unless the Knicks are planning to play Kidd much more at shooting guard next season, it would appear they have at least one point guard too many around.

The Rockets, according to a source, thought there was a chance Saturday that the Knicks wouldn’t match the offer sheet. New York will have three days from when it receives the sheet to decide whether to match it or not. If it matches the offer sheet, it can’t trade Lin until next July.

The Rockets signed Lin to a three-year, $25.1 million offer sheet Friday, reworking the terms of the key third year of the contract from earlier proposals they had made in the week. In the offer sheet Lin signed, after getting $5 million in the first year of the contract and $5.225 million in the second, he’ll be paid $14.898 million in the third. Houston could do that because for cap purposes, the value of his deal is averaged for the team that signs a restricted free agent to an offer sheet and offers him a raise larger than the normal average in the third year. That means Lin would count for a little more than $8 million each year on Houston’s cap, even though he’d be paid less than that in each of the first two seasons and more than that in the third year.

But that won’t be the case for the Knicks. New York will have to absorb that entire $14.898 million in year three, which is the same year the Knicks are already on the tab for $24.3 million for Carmelo Anthony, $23.4 million for Amar’e Stoudemire and $14.5 million for Tyson Chandler. Those four salaries alone would put New York above the salary tax threshold of $70 million this season. By then, the more punitive penalties of the new collective bargaining agreement for taxpaying teams would kick in, with teams paying $1.50 in tax for every dollar they exceed the threshold up to $5 million.

They would pay $1.75 in tax for every dollar they exceeded the threshold by $5 million to $10 million, $2.50 per dollar from $10 million to $15 million above the threshold and $3.25 per dollar they exceeded the threshold from $15 million to $20 million. And if a team is a “repeater,” having exceeded the threshold three straight seasons, those rates would increase by a dollar per $5 million above the threshold–to $2.50, $2.75, $3.50 and $4.25 per dollar over.

Those amounts of tax could quickly become prohibitive, even for a team like New York, perhaps the biggest revenue producing team in the league. It would be a key test of the new CBA, which was designed to discourage the league’s highest-spending teams from hoarding good players.

Still, letting Lin walk would be a surprise, given his impact both on the court and in terms of potential merchandising opportunities in New York. Lin jerseys and t-shirts flew off the shelves in the heyday of Linsanity, which ended quickly after Lin suffered a knee injury late in the regular season and missed the Knicks’ first-round series with Miami. Lin didn’t mesh with Anthony, who’d been injured when Lin first got his opportunity, when Anthony returned.

Felton, the former first-round pick of the Bobcats, played well in his first run in New York after signing as a free agent in 2010. Playing for then-coach Mike D’Antoni, Felton averaged 17.1 points and 9.3 assists in 54 games before being sent to Denver as part of the trade that brought Anthony to New York. Felton then was traded to Portland, where he had a disastrous season. He reported to camp out of shape after the lockout, and never meshed with former coach Nate McMillan, shooting just 40 percent from the floor.

Houston is continuing to try and amass assets as it looks to add a star player. The Rockets have long coveted Dwight Howard from Orlando, even though Howard has indicated he wouldn’t sign a contract extension if traded there, and would become an unrestricted free agent next summer. Houston is expected to give Bulls reserve center Omer Asik a three-year deal similar to Lin’s.

181 Comments

what a %^&%&^% move for the ny knicks! Jeremy Lin brings excitement to the garden it hasn’t had in years!!! How were the ny knicks doing before Jeremey got out there? AND, the money they would make from just merchandise alone is incredible!!! Don’t the knicks have an accountant to do the math for them. c’mon!!!

Lin makes the players around him better. LIn makes Dumb Knicks better. Lin makes people eager to go to the arena to watch Knicks game. Lin’s salary can be covered by MSG stocks rise and mechandise sells all around the world.
If Lin leaves (most likely), MSG’s stock will drop > 10%, mechandise sells will be no more like Linsanity’s era (> 3000%),
Knicks will lose Asian market to Rockets, not many peoples will go to watch knicks game and Knicks will be dumb again.

i like this move only because shumper is hurt and we need some defensive in the back count and Raymond Felton can give us some of that and if i was gm i would go a different rout i would trade stat because his back and get a Paul from jazz with a first round pick and a favors then sign lin and fields

Ok I know there are salary cap problems but not sure if anyone mentioned this one. We all talk about Lin being able to score and Felton is a better pg as far as giving up the ball. So how is this for a starting line up.

As a Knicks fan I dont understand what are we doing. we should focus on young talent instead of mentioned above. I like Kidd, and I still remember how Camby once play with the knicks in the final, but….I dont think knicks will do any better this year…
Overall, as a knicks fan. I wish them luck

not sure specifically how the business of the nba works but…..
sure if the knicks match the rockets offer sheet lin will make the organization money THIS yr, everything else though is up in the air. sure lin has time and potential on his side but what made linsanity go great was the spur of the moment great play (play that was able to happen ONLY b/c amare and melo had injury stints during this same time and no1 else could score) and being an example of the american dream. now, if the knicks sign him and they do not AT LEAST make the conference finals (pretty much for the next 3yrs, maybe 2 out of the 3) linsanity will be gone and so will all the money that comes from marketing, etc. so when that 3rd yr comes up the tax on that would be far too large if there is no excess in revenue from what “linsanity” once was. i bet if lin does not help the knicks go to the conference finals or helps the rockets make the playoff’s…no1 in will care past next july….sure he will probly make the all star team off of votes but other than that no seats filled in houston anymore, and no praise in the tough market of nyc. i’m a knick fan and would love to see him at least try to become better and more importantly HAVE AT LEAST HALF A SEASON (he has yet to have 4 consistent wks with the entire proposed starting lineup) with amare/melo/tyson but i can understand from the business side if he does not come back.

what Lin brings to the Knicks is revenue, excitement and chemistry. He made players like Novak, Chandler, and other players (other teams don’t pay as much attention on defense) do what they are best at. Like Steve Nash first came to NBA, Lin isnt an athletic, DRose, DWilliams, CPaul-liked super star, but Lin shared something similar to him, bball IQ, work ethic, and fundamental, and now will has Jason Kidd to teach him. Jeremy won’t be DRose or Rondo but he will be a Steve Nash or something similar. I say take all Felton for being consistent, JKidd for experience, Lin for the future and revenue. p.s. Why Kurt Thomas when u have Camby…Go Knicks!

I don’t think we have seen the best of Lin yet. Based on the records from high school till now, he is usually a slow bloommer. I think many ppl are going to be disappointed, D Will was expecting to have a few good yrs of pg duel with Lin, Spike Lee may end up wearing a Rockets jersey.

I think without Lin, the Knicks will lose a fearless leader who can overcome all odds.

Knicks management has it ups and down. People were excited that Lin who was the underdog story who was at the D-League and at the end of the bench but all of the sudden, BAM he has a good game with the struggling NETS. Then the Knicks were on a 7 winning streak that face on struggling teams. Don’t get me wrong but when it comes to the teams that you are facing the Playoff, Lin struggles the most. When it was the Bulls, a healthy Derrick Rose school him; the Heats, both LeBron and Dwanye double team him to give me the 8 turnovers and for the Celtics, Rondo had his famous triple double on him. If the Knicks wants to get into the second round, here is my advice, 1. Have home court advantage and DO NOT face the Heat or the Bulls. Lin is just a guy that people like to watch people of his spirit but if you want a champion then it is time to move on!!!!!

The Knicks owner is retarded…amare and melo have proven time and time again that they don’t have the depth to make it anywhere far in the playoffs. The two don’t play well together, and never will. Both are prolific scorers, but one is good at finishing plays led by a pointguard, while the other needs the ball in an isolation play every single time. There is no ball movement at all, and all Knicks fans have to agree by the way the team played all season before lin was there.

The Knicks is better off giving one of them away and basing the team on jeremy lin and tyson chandler, and adding some role players. At least they had a win streak going on with that combo and actually had some ball movement.

Melo will never win a ring because he plays like kobe, but without a shaq or a bynum. Tyson chandler is one of the best at defense but has terrible offensive skills.

everyone whose saying lin is not worth, 15 million, okay what if he is not?> what if he is sitll not good at all. Doesnt mean anything, causee he will still make profits cause of linsanity and all those people in Asia people gives them a role model in a big city like new york, his merchandise, and advert, will pay for his contract by it self let, aloneee when he plays good, its soo much better. And all you haters that givin up on lin, how much better are you then the rockets and the warriors who gave up on lin huh? your no better because your not givin him the chance….. Everyone is saying he didnt play 82 gamea and go through a season to prove himself, so why dontt you give him the chance this yearrr? how is he suppose to prove it to us if he never even got the chance??????????, its unbelivable people who are saying hes over rated over 25 games, but he hasnt even played a season yet, so how can you say that he is overrated. Id rather lose one of amare,tyson, or melo instead of lin tbh, cuz the chemistry between those threee are not good at all. Melo and amare both need the ball to be effective.. and u can get anything running until u get a great point guard to get everyone involved. Just like against Miami, why do you guys think, boston was so good and effective against miami, cause of Rondo, and great point guard play. Im not sayin lin is rondo’s caliper, but you have to develop the kid, if he ever plans on gettin there. I REALLLY HOPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE PEOPLE READ THISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! I MAKE A GOOOOOOOOOOOD POINT. Besides Kidd came to the knicks to mentor lin he got the chance, and everyone really REAAAAAAAAAAAALY does FELTONNN EVEN HAVE THE MOTIVATION TO PLAY IN NEW YORK KNOWING THAT THEY TRADED HIM AND GOT HIM BACK, what is the NEW YORK KNICKS ORGANIZATION EVEN THINKING>>>. BRING A NEW FACE TO THE FRANCHISE SHEEESH…

PLEASE DONT LET LIN GO ANYONE THAT SAYS HE SHOULD IS A STUPID HATER LIN IS COOLER THAN NEONE IN NBA IDIOTS KEEP LIN IN NY NY NEEDS LIN NY IS THE GREATEST CITY IN THE WORLD WE SHOULDNT HAVE A PROBLEM PAYING

Felton brings team chemistry, He belongs in NY. Felton is a true point guard and one that i think will fit well with the knicks. just look at his and STATs stats when they played together
Linsanity is over!
wise move by knicks admin staff

Man, even if Felton can play better than Jeremy. Just letting Lin play will pay off. There’s merchandise, promotional events, ticket sales, and broadcast rights. Felton can’t bring that amount of $$$ now, can he?

DID ANY READ THE ARTICLE BEFORE POSTING
I LOVE THE WAY SO CALLED KNICKS FAN ARE READY TO JUMP TO THE BROOKLYN NETS
THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT BY WE DONT NEED YOU GUYS
ITS SMART OF THE KNICKS NOT TO MATCH THE OFFER SEEING THAT WE WILL SCREW OUR SELF IN THREE YEARS
THE NBA IS A BUSINESS LETS NOT FOREVER THAT
BY THE WAY NOT EVEN NEW JERSEY CARED IF THEY LEFT, IF YOU WANT TO BE A RIDER GO BE A BROOKLYN NETS FAN

the knicks will be in the same position last year since Lin (their most important piece) is gone, i bet the knicks will get swept by miami if they meet in the playoffs unless they bring back both coach D’antoni and Lin

well, now we know.. they can’t trade lin until July 2013.. houston is pathetic for this.. Lin is playing in the toyota center for a LOSING TEAM, so let linsanity happen and 1/2 the arena empty.. luvin this nets/houston/magic debacle..

Whats up with all these haters to Lin? He’s young and has a lot of potential. Sure he has a lot of weaknesses now, but he will get better. Lin isn’t the type of player who gets a big contract and scrubs out the remaining years of his nba career. And most importantly, even if you think Lin isn’t worth the money, remember that he will make so much money back for the Knicks with his popularity. How many t-shirts, caps, jerseys, tickets, etc will be sold because of Lin? Lastly, if the Knicks were to broadcast in China, they could make several millions, similar to what Houston did with Yao.

rockets roster is in shambles; if they get Howard, along with him will come overpriced Orlando players (Richardson, etc) that Howard did not think he could win with; rockets newcomers are untested. the “Howard or else” mentality means no playoffs for rockets

rockets roster is in shambles; if they get howard, along with him will come Orlando players he did not think he could win with. rocket newcomers are untested. the “Howard or else mentality” will lead to no playoffs this year

HHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHHHAHAHAHAH Knicks are the dumbest teamin the NBA! They get rid of the only reason they made the playoffs to get Felton! If the Knicks traded Felton the why would they want him back! HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Lin is not a chris paul, a rondo, a rose, or a wesbrook. he has not proven when he can play a whole season as the knicks starting point guard, and when the knicks needed him most in the playoffs he punked out. matching houston is financial suicide and ends any chance of the knicks acquiring chris paul. let lin go, he didnt want to play on the knicks anyway.

A lot of NBA players are better than LIN one on one. But Lin is much smarter than them and he can apply it to the whole team to make them much better that most PG can ever reach to this level. Paying 15 Mill sounds too much, but look at the benefits come with it, I don’t think most of NBA top players can even come close. Lin already showed what he can do. With better training and practice, he will be much better in the future.

The only reason J Lin got so much hype is because he played for New York..
Ive seen young players have a good week or month on other Teams but barely get any recognition.. then the league figures them out

J Lin had headlines saying hes a future All star After one good week…. Media.. give it one full season before speculating please

Jeremy Lin will be better off in Houston. They will give him the starting position and run the offense through him. They desparately need a PG just like when Linsanity started the Nicks needed a PG. Houston also already have the expertise to promote a global sensation like Lin as they have done it with Yao. The Nicks have too much baggage (namely Melo and Stat) to be able to let Lin shine. No matter where Lin goes his fans will follow.

Anyone that thinks jermy lin is worth 25 mil is stupid I think he played in like 29 games and after the heat exposed all his weakness he didnt do anyhitng but hurt himself trying to hard. Felton is far better player who they never should have traded in the first place. Nickes are comeing together nicely but still gonna be weak on the D Chandler cant get these guys to play D like he did in dallas.

great move by the knicks, alot if complaining, so let me put it like this, felton 59 games and the knicks were winners while he was tgher very consistant and sorry to say still young. he is a low to the ground point gaurd that actually one something like a title in college. so overall he is a proven winner, also flurishing under larry brown a gaurd coach. he has played in different styles and still managed the same numbers. so picture with a real team that the knicks are now. he is a great pick up and so is the verterns that actually. were ever they play, they continue to be proven winners

This makes a lot of sense if you have seen the new york times. Jason Kidd was arrested and charged with DWI after crashing his suv into a telephone pole in the Hamptons. Looks like it’s Lin’s time to shine after all.

People are we really going this crazy over Lin, Raymond is a better pure point guard he loves NY & will be super rejuvenated to come back if he plays like he did the first time him an Amar’e together lookout we know what melo brings & our defense is going to be great when our record is 55-27 and we win our first division in how many years long time and than we look at Houston & there record with Lin is 27-55 I’m sure most of you out there will be forgetting about Jeremy his jerseys won’t be flying out of Modells in fact they will be overstocked Lol Lin thank the Knicks for making you $25 million dollars richer now we move on & get better simple as that point gurad is not our problem anymore theres no more Bibby’s and Barons kidd & Raymond will hold that position down can’t wait until November.

thank you fam… finally somebody that knows hoop…LIN was a huge mistake at that price..especially the back loaded part of it… This scenario couldnt be better ,other than getting rondo or paul…(dreaming)..Felton will def. be in shape and can RUN a half court offense..WHAT is the PICK&ROLL? seriously folks.. He was nice wit AMARE’…The fact he didnt work out in POR is a good thing for us..HE was the reason the trade wit MELO happened… felton was the one we tried to keep, but had to give up. LIN cant defend elite points or even inspired and average guards…PERIOD

Lin still has not preform in a 82 game serason in the NBA. Yes Lin had a couple good weeks in the 2012 NBA season, but now NBA teams know how to play him. It is ironic that Houston wants Lin back after they let him go. If I was Lin I would not go back but we all know that Lin will go to the team that pays him the most.

End of an era? Huh? isnt Era signify ‘over a long period of time” in any discussion? LOL Linsaity was only and no mre than 3 month sensation and even shorter since lin got hurt before the playoffs. Journalism tend to go to far in making a statment.

Knicks is underestimating the Asian market. Giving up on Lin (if it happens) will be one of the biggest mistakes for the organization. Lin was selling more jerseys than Lebron!!! They also got Kidd to help Lin to mature, make the right decision here. It’s really not that difficult…

I only started watching NBA again because of Jeremy Lin. I hope he goes to Houston because I think he’ll be able to grow a lot more and it’s time to move on from the Melo drama. Houston is a better fit for him. OKC to me is the best fit (similar moral and spiritual values) for him if he wasn’t interested in starting. It’s a great business decision for the Rockets and he has a lot of growth potential too.

I was waiting for some sanity in this league… $5 mil/yr isn’t bad for Lin, but that 3rd year kicker is bad for the knicks, so they have no choice but to let lin go… lin will be trade bait to the magic ultimately by houston, but I don’t know if lin can be traded once signed by houston, soooo if houston can’t trade lin, then that puts them out of the howard deal.. AND i for one would be loving this… Howard stays in orlando to sit and linsanity breaks out in houston on a NON PLAYOFF bound team… 11 pretty good games gets him a payday like this is remarkable.. besides the breakout games, he’s above average but not elite, definitely not worth 15 mil/yr, there’s not much of a difference between felton and lin on this knicks team, either way the ball is going to amare,anthony 1st, so you have to more of a facilitator than a scorer ultimately with hardly any turnovers….

I agree with we don’t need LIN. Chemistry seems to be underrated nowadays.
If I were the NYK GM, I would sign that contract LIN wants.
Then trade him to any team willing to hand over draft picks.
2 Draft picks over LIN any day.

ANYONE know if NYK signed/plan to sign PAPANICOLAOU ?
His hustle on the court seems second to none.

We could of trade him during the allstar break in february..” LInsanity” was at its peak! know teams are banking on what if…Why?.should the knicks fall victim to that pressure..we could got something good last year.. keeping him isnt the answer…We want him for money not because hes the next STEVE NASH..lol..be realistic.. and even the great and loved NASH is suspect on defense..LIN can only wish to have ONE SEASON with comparable numbers..honestly..

I swear to GOD and to all that is good that MY KNICKS will TRULY regret not keeping Lin. Lin has SO MUCH potential. In TWO years I GUARANTEE that Lin will be recognized as a TRUE ALL-STAR for both supporters and haters. My Knicks need to keep their young talent. Keep Lin. Keep Fields. Keep Shumperd. Yes, Fields had a bad season, but you know what fields can do when he’s on point.

Seriously though KEEP Lin. If they don’t I bet you 2 years from now Houston fans will be laughing at NY for not keeping Lin.

He aint the next steve nash.. my friend..lol.. Potential? potential to fade away with the pressure of becoming an allstar and being the main storyline for the night..every night!.. when ever he matches up wit the top PG’s , if he gets a similar run like last year.etc…too much to shoulder and learn, run the offense …playing D…really did he do it last year?Them turnovers hurt.. they mainly happen because he is trying to attack! thats the double edge sword…Again defense usually doesnt get that much better for scorers, realistically he doesnt have the physicallity to defend at a high level.. speed can only keep you in front

Jeremy Lin may not resign with the Knicks. The headline: The End of an Era? – Seriously? LeBron leaving Cleveland, Shaq’s retirement, and Phil Jackson leaving for good all marked the end of recent eras, but Jeremy Lin going to a new team after playing half a season with New York? Linsane!

i can’t understand all this kind of deals and trades from teams that doesn’t need changes, for example new york. what new york need to be an excellent team, for me the clue is in the way that the players can play as ateam, with no egos no selfishness and the same thing happen with other teams like dallas, they did changes looking to improve the team and what happened?, just nothing they became worst. look miami the team of the miracle for lebron (without that help, you think that lebron could be the winner that is now ? no way), i just have question why the nba denied the chance to lakers improve their team this past season is not fair. but this just my opinion thankas to wade, lebron and bosh are champions because it was the only way, because lebron and bosh alone are not complete players to take a team to championship remember lebron 8 years of pure nothing….

Wow! Never expected this. Even though Lin and Melo didn’t mesh from the start, you know it still could happen. Carmelo is indeed a great scorer, Lin is a young prolific player that brought the kind of excitement you wont get in NY in a long time and this has a HUGE value for the fans ans for the team, Tyson Chandler is in my opinion the one that stands out as the true emotional leader, who pushes guys to play defense and bring intensity at both ends wich is the key to win games. Man… Even though I like Amare I must say… He is the one that would be the only good opion for a trade that would provide salary cap space. Maybe get a strong 2 or add big guys that would defend in the paint and get rebounds.

I liked Lin but he still had a lot to prove and just wasn’t worth the money. Felton is the more proven PG at this time and played very well with Amare when he was on the team. I think this is a good move for the Knicks.

Blah blah blah Yap useless.
NY is soooo duuuuummmmmmmbbbb, they can trade chandler n stoudemire for Dhowrd because NY ain’t going anywhere past Miami or bulls or nets with what they got. Although melo is a ball hug but who else their can replace melo offensive fire power, lbj,KD&kb got their own team. Keep melo,Kidd, and get jay rich n Howard n sign Evans nbur set with a great team. N all u morons don’t tell me chandler n stats can’t be replace by Howard because Howard is ten times better then both of them.
Gaaaah.

Jeremy Lin would be better off in Houston coz he will be able to use his skills to the fullest–he will be a better player if he is part of the first five– I have a feeling that New York cannot match the offer of Houston because of the New CBA– Linsanity goes to Houston

Why don’t Americans check out Jeremy Lin’s stats on his first 10 NBA starter games? He is even better than MJ’s stats on his first 10 starter NBA games. I don’t think MJ created any Jordanity fever in his first 2 month NBA season. Lin may not be as great as MJ in his future NBA seasons, but Lin is definitely worth high salary now for he is legit and profitable.

C’mon man those stats like your first ten games is a JOKE!! Those are dug up for conversation and banter..If really played or followed the game correctly… like how people follow,breakdown football… then you know those are EMPTY stats… Reality is we havent seen him 82 games..nor against teams who put him on the scoting report and take what he is doing seriously.. when it counts!..Comparing him in any sense to MJ is ridiculous.. opinion or using a stat..honestly..He was already a little uncomfortable with all the media attention..He will grab headlines again from other teams and stars consistently next yr….that alone will expose what he can produce every night

MJ brought basketball to the rest of the world.. as a global icon.. The greatest starring with Hall of Famers..the best player on the best team…I think thats a “Insanity” JEREMY LIN AT HIS ABSOLUTE best could never claim.. check the stats..lol

It’s a very weird situation. I can say for sure that they won’t let go of Lin and I’m saying that not because he’s super talented or anything like that but simply from a business standpoint. With the type of money he brings to the organisation there is no doubt that simply him being in New York will more than pay for that 15 mil. They’re probably just going to start two point guards next season(Woodson has done that a lot) and bring JR off the bench. Trust me though, they will not let Lin walk.

Mark my words Jeremy Lin can not handle an 82 game season. He had like 10 really good games where he averaged like 5 -7 turnovers per and this was before the scouting report. Jeremy’s a marked man I really doubt we’ll see Linsanity again but I hope he can prove me wrong. I would never put spend more than $3 million per season on him. I find it funny that he signed to the Houston Rockets being that the Rockets signed T-Mac and Yao Ming both of whom couldn’t handle the rough NBA 82 game season. I love Cinderella stories but this is the NBA where men have to run up and down an NBA court for 48 minutes at full speed. Jimmer was a beast in College but in the NBA you’re already seeing that the young man looks like he’s in over his head. I don’t think Lin is worth that kind of money I can almost guarantee that he’ll find a way to get injured 10 -15 games into the season! – Prove me wrong LIn Prove me wrong!

lin is young and still learning.in few years time,he’ll be a good point guard like nash.aside from what he did last february,nobody can duplicate what he did..he also came from a reputable school like HARVARD,were only intelliigent student can be accepted.NOT all nba players graduated and got a degree..Most important,he’s God fearing person and HUmble!

I hope Knicks don’t sign that overrated Lin. He has the team’s record for most consecuive games with 6+ turnovers. He has no left. He’s got the same move … going to his right with that slow-motion/delay runner, similar to Nash, but Lin can do it only with his right. He’s not a PG, probably more like a 2-guard. And he certainly can’t defend well by himself. His steals were mosty initiated by good D from his teammates. Last thing … all NBA players now know him and will be out to get him. I guarantee that he will disappoint this coming season. Felton, if he loses some weight and gets his quickness back, will be just fine. But we should’ve gotten Ramon Sessions (signed by Charolette). Oh well, but I think the Felton/Kidd combo is a lot better than Kidd/Lin.

Woodson never liked LIn, benched him before, and was only forced to acknowledge Lin as starting PG probably due to pressure from others. Bring Felton is the perfect excuse to get rid of Lin. I do not believe NY will match Houston’s contract. Only time will tell if Lin is the real thing. But if you have the money, what not risk it at this stage. It may bring unexpected results. Interesting to watch. Besides, Lin may become popular and be able to sell Jerseys as well since Houston has always been popular in Asia.

Interesting… Maybe the Rockets will get the player that they want in Lin. Still, the Knicks are probably insuring that they have enough quality PG in case someone gets injured. Last year, Lin and Baron Davis were injured which left Mike Bibby as the only legit PG in the fold during the playoffs. Don’t want that to happen again.

okay, so they got back back felton who they traded away to get carmelo, and now they bring him back. First my thing is does felton even have motivation to play for New York knowing that same very organization traded him to get Carmelo. Second, thing is that they should get Lin. He not only gives a new flavor to the New York Knicks, and something to watch, as well has his development next year. If he did anything close, what he did in the 25 games last year isn’t it worth the risk? He’s the one reason that knick fans came to see games during, times of hardship. He even one, in the ESPY’s. My thing is that The Knicks, brought Lin and Linsanity to the world and that the place he should be, he is still young. We already know what we are going to get out of Jason Kidd, and we know what Felton. But we do not know what Lin can do in one season, and thats what makes it interesting and looking forward too, Over the luxery tax or not he should come back to the knicks…

I feel you on the marketing aspect..but if your a TRUE fan and want to seriosly compete with Boston,MIAMI, Crooklyn, etc.. Da Knicks need a point guard who can defend.. (Stay in front of your opponent.. is not defense) especially when play gets serious..(Playoffs) LIN cant cut it im sorry

Letting go of Lin would be the insanely stu pid move the Knicks will ever make for the entire decade. Inside the court, they probably didn’t remember the game last March 14, 2012 at the MSG where the Trailblazers lost in a humiliating game with the Knicks(Trailblazers-79, Knicks-121). Jeremy Lin only played 22 minutes and let B.Davis, M.Bibby and I.Shumpert play the entire 2nd half. Felton has 9pts, 3ast, 3reb and 6 turnovers. Its because of Lin why Chandler got the highest double-double and also points in his career, so was Novak and Jeffries’s talents got known around the NBA. As for Outside the court, expect the Asian community and all Asian viewers abroad to jump-off Knicks and go watch Rockets. Ticket sales, TV view sales abroad, merchandise sales and ads are among the things the Knicks would say ‘bye bye’ with a sad face :'(

RAY FELTON, W/O D’ANTONI = FAILURE? KNICKS MAKE ANOTHER MISTAKE!!! FELTON’S STYLE IS DEPENDENT ON OPEN FLOOR OPPORTUNITIES,(SO IS AMARE’S) COUNTER TO THE HALF – COURT SETS THEY HAVE BEEN PLAYING WITH CARMELO ANTHONY. IN A SLOW POWER GAME, RAY FELTONS NUMBERS ARE DOWN. COACH MCMILLAN’S STYLE AND COACH WOODSON’S STYLE HAVE SIMILARITIES, BUT WITH PORTLAND HAVING THE ADVANTAGE WITH THEIR BIG FRONT LINE PLAYERS.THIS FACTOR WHICH THE NY TEAM IS TRYING TO RECOVER FOR WITH THE ADDITION OF THE OLDER JASON KIDD, MARCUS CAMBY AND KURT THOMAS. WILL NOT WANT TO RUN ALL THE TIME WHICH WILL HURT RAY FELTON’S GAME. I’M SURPRISED NO ONE NOTICED. THE BEST THE KNICKS CAN DO NOW IS TRADE AMARE STOUDEMIRE, MAKE CARMELO PLAY LIKE DIRK NOVITSKY AND USE THE 2010-11 MAVERICKS AS EXAMPLE, WITH ONE SUPERSTAR PHENOM AND SEVERAL ROLE PLAYERS.

WOW! Three weeks of solid basketball gets you 5 mil for two season and 14 mil one, LOL. Who is making these deals in the NBA, they must be playing with monoply money. Oh well, he will probably be out of the league in his third year or riding the bench somewhere making the 14 mil, LOL The NBA is Fantastic!!! LOL Don’t hate the player hate the Game!

Don’t you follow NFL? Kolb got like 40 mil for 3 starts from AZ. It’s professional sports, you bet on players potential, not their track history. I mean you’ll pay 25 mil for 2 players who are almost 40 right? That just makes so much more sense.

That’s absurd THAT’S REALLY ABSURD !!!! how can the Knicks put away Lin like that!!!??? I mean they’re signing and trade players like Kidd & Kurt Thomas who are nearing retirement!!!! By the way i don’t think that Felton will step up like 2 seasons ago everybody knows at NY that Melo keeps the ball everytime!!! So for me if they let go Lin it will be a BIG HUGE MISTAKE!!!!! I hope that i’m wrong sorry for the Knicks U_U

i love LIN to stay in New york but for a young player like lin maybe is better off to huston less stars so he can take more shoots to find out is he a real pointguard or a shooting guard. also if D.howard is heading to huston it will be great for both howard will get its boards / point “i mean 25+ points a game”.

The Rockets were quite intelligent in reworking the terms of the contract for Lin, especially after letting go some of their pieces for barely nothing (Kyle Lowry).

I hope that the Knicks can’t match the offer for Lin and let him go to the Rockets. It’s the best for him. If he stays in NY, he’ll may have less minutes than we can expect him to have. In Houston, he’ll be the full-time starter, and at his young age, getting minutes to develop skills (especially for a point guard) is important. So for the best of Jeremy, I hope that he ends up in Clutch City.

At almost 15 Million on year 3 of the deal, it’s quite an absurd amount for a one dimensional player who just came from surgery. Surgery is always surgery, there is no guarantee that Lin will come back as is or will feel better, and that’s only one part of the equation. At an average of 8 something Million a year, then Lin should be as good as Ty Lawson, Steve Nash or Aaron Brooks.

Is Lin really in that realm of players? His numbers suggest he is, but reviewing game tape might tell you something else. He can improve but to what extent? The good thing is it’s just a three year contract and in a worst case scenario then Houston has a 15 million expiring contract it can use as trade chip. Whatever happens, whether Lin transforms into an elite PG or turns out that his 3 week play was merely a fluke, Houston still did a good job because of how they structured the contract.

Lin has the potential and is already a rising star..he’s asian and the western people cannot or will not easily accept the fact that there are a lot of atheletes, not just basketball players from Asia that can play better or can outbest them…Lin will be a superstar, given the opportunity and will win championships..have faith brothers!!!!

It’s just you. Of course Lin agrees to a $25m contract over 3 years. It’s just up to the Knicks whether they will match it or not. RayRay left Boston for Miami even though Boston offered him more money. If the Knicks keep Lin, he will obviously play a bunch of minutes. If RayRay stayed with Boston, he would have had to fight for minutes with Bradley and Terry.

Also my boy Alan Houston is part of this I see some old Knicks are back that can only help the team leadership, behind the scenes locker room and experience fans don’t see that part of the game but it is very crucial to winning.

Good ridance you one hit wonder Jeremy Lin, Felton is proven in this league and has been to the pkayoffs as a starter we got our bulldog back. Kidd Raymond we are so good at that position dont forget about that spanish guy from Europe solid guards from that position we got 3 point guards thank you Grunwald Donnie taught him well!!!!!!

Couple of problems with your lineup. Lamb is too fragile for the 3 and Scola ain’t there anymore. Lin will be a great pickup though. If they can pull off the Dwight Howard trade and put Terrence Jones at the 4 they’re in business. For 1 year that is in which they need to win a championship or Dwight is gone.

Knicks would be making a huge mistake to not capitalize on Lin for the on court and off court value he brings to the organization. Lin is still young and has plenty of potential to grow into a more mature player, perhaps someone like Nash.
If the Knicks had gotten Nash then it probably makes more sense to not re-sign Lin.

If I were the GM, I’d look to shedding off someone on their roster who are well over-paid measured by player efficiency. 1 out of 5 people in this world, Chinese, I think would be siding me on this who has their eyes glued to every game he played and picking their wallets for every Lin merchandise out there.

new york is trying to build a team that can try and challenge for a championship. felton coming in is just another piece to that puzzle. not necessarily a replacement for lin. the nba season is a long one. kidd isn’t going to be able to play as many minutes as most people think. there’s plenty of reason to have all 3 guards, especially since kidd could slot in at the 2 guard off the bench, giving the knicks the possibility of having chandler, stoudemire, anthony, kidd and lin all on court at the same time. that would be a formidable 5 to deal with. i think the knicks are going to command a lot more respect from the east this year, they’ll be serious contenders in the east, with or without lin, although i expect him to be there come the start of the season

Adding kidd isnt a solution at the 2 spot..Not to mention what did lin, melo, amare and tyson do last year? SUSPECT ON DEFENSE at both guard positions.. Melo HAD to be a playmaker..man..even with lin in the lineup.. Felton will be inspired and in shape count on it, he was mad about the trade a season and a half ago..

I like getting Felton and even Kurt Thomas back, but I hate the fact Knicks traded another draft pick to ger them back…at 2016, that’s when Melo, Chandler, and Amare may not be teammates together…they need picks to get younger players, darn it!

It would definitely be a mistake to sign Lin now. Financial suicide. It would be better to focus on bringing in a cheap defender/rebounder like Ivan Johnson to replace Jeffries heart and hustle. Ivan is built to be a Knick fan favorite in the mold of Charles Oakley or Xavior McDaniel. Too many point guards can kill a rotation but I can understand if they want to use Kidd sparingly with his age.

It’s a Financial suicide for NYN, but not for Rocket. You just don’t get it.
The Lisanity’s financial effects this year rated over 100M.
Considering about the 1.3 Billion Chinese market, that’s a huge business that you just can’t image.
If Lin can stay healthy, that’s will transfer to big money, that’s a hundreds of million’s business.

With Lowry upset and left Houston and Dragic decide not to sign back with the team that gave him a chance to be a starter….I’m glad to hear that we’re getting Lin back…our roster is just horrible right now and with the improvement of Lin…maybe we can get Howard since Nets are out of the equation

I agree. Lin was great with the knicks.
Then again, the Knicks signing felton and kidd means they closed the door on Lin by themselves.
Lin deserrves a big contract. He was only gonna get better. NYK rushed this if you ask me. They are so much in flux with all the players being added and removed and even the coaching change last year. I don’t know why they did this in the past 4 years the team is so unstable, and you can’t win games like that.
They may have lost alot more than they realize by letting Lin go.

wow… u really don’t understand how the nba works do you? first of all felton and kidd cannot be traded until july. second of all lins salary of $15 mil in the third season is too much for the knicks (if you read the article). third of all lin is very very very overrated. fourth, to get lin they would have to either trade melo, amare, or chandler…would you do that?

Absolutely. This man Lin almost singlehandedly hoisted the Knicks on his shoulders and carried them into the playoffs. And now they;re going to let Houston punk them. What? New York? The Big Apple? My kind of town New York is? Theyre going to regret letting the Lin loose in Houston. So Felton is going to generate the same excitement as Jeremy huh? It ain’t happenin’!

its not about generating excitment.. Its taking this franchise to the next level, and LIN is ok but not physical or a good enough defender.. at starter he will be an obvious weakness.. felton is better with contact..THis NYC fam we dont need gimmicks and good stories.

i agree and from my perspective i see a lot of haters of Lin, why?
The guy show Lakers he got game, How many can do what he did?
Good for him to move to Houston as he should be tired of Melo drama
No kidd or chandler would help NYK eliminates from first round as Melo is No 1 option
Too much ego and too much touches for team chemistry
Amare is over paid and over rated as has no defense
Sad to see young knicks goes elsewehere
Miami, Chicago, Boston, Indiana and New Jersei are better teams now
6th seed in the east

Kobe Bryant was too ego too, but he won championshp rings, it really depends on the coaching, i mean why bother hire a coach then ? teams need coahes so players like MELO can learn to share the ball and win games. 5 vs 5 not 1 vs 5